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dr. M.J. van Hulst

Associate Professor

Tilburg Law SchoolDepartment of Politics and Public Administration

Interests

My research focuses on interpretive practices and work practices more in general. More in particular, I have investigated storytelling in local governance/planning (book 'Town Hall Tales', article in Planning Theory) and at the police (article in British Journal of Criminology and book 'Politieverhalen'). I have also looked at processes of framing (article in The American Review of Public Administration). The work practices of 'People who make a difference' (exemplary practitioners) is an ongoing research project and have been the topic of a range of papers (articles in Administrative Theory & Praxis, Critical Policy Studies, Bestuurswetenschappen, Local Government Studies, Public Administration Review) and a book (in Dutch). In addition, I have increasly become interested in the work practices of police officers (article in Innovation, Dutch book on police morality). Finally, I have written about research practices, ethnography in particular (mainly book chapters and an article in Critical Policy Studies). If you are interested in publications on these topics, but have no access to them, please send me an email: m.j.vanhulst@uvt.nl

Expertise

Merlijn van Hulst's general interest is in sense and meaning making in politics, policy making and public administration. He specializes in narrative and framing analysis. He has been involved in a variety of research projects that focus on local governance and has also studied practitioners in urban neighbourhoods. In addition, he studies the Dutch police force.

Education

Merlijn van Hulst was trained in cultural anthropology at Utrecht University (1994-2000). For his study he did fieldwork in the north of France (1998).

Career

Merlijn van Hulst worked as a consultant for Cap Gemini from 1999 untill 2002. In 2002 he was hired by the Erasmus University Rotterdam. In January 2008 he received his PhD and started to work at the Tilburg School of Politics and Public Administration (TSPPA). His general interest is in sense and meaning making in politics, policy making and public administration. He specializes in narrative analysis. He has been involved in a variety of research projects that focus on local governance and urban neighbourhoods. In 2012, Merlijn van Hulst was one of the organizers of the 7th conference for Interpretive Policy Analysis (IPA) which took place in Tilburg. At the moment his focus is on the police force and people who make a difference. He also acts as the research coordinator of the TSPPA.